• TSCA enables EPA to require companies to test selected existing chemicals for toxic effects.
• TSCA also requires EPA to review most new chemicals before they are manufactured.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has broad authority to issue regulations to gather health/safety and exposure information on, require testing of, and control exposure to chemical substances and mixtures. However, that authority is dictated by the scope of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). In other words, EPA’s TSCA authority has limits on the activities and chemicals that are covered and the extent to which the agency can regulate them.

To ensure wise and informed decision-making by the government, TSCA gives EPA authority to gather certain kinds of basic information on chemical risks from those who manufacture and process chemicals. The law also enables EPA to require companies to test selected existing chemicals for toxic effects and requires the agency to review most new chemicals before they are manufactured.

To prevent unreasonable risks, EPA may select from a broad range of control actions under TSCA, from requiring hazard-warning labels to outright bans on the manufacture or use of especially hazardous chemicals. EPA may regulate a chemical’s unreasonable risks at any stage of its life-cycle — manufacturing, processing, distribution in commerce, use, or disposal.